Prima-Temp, a company looking to leverage machine learning in women’s cyclical health, announced earlier this month that it acquired Kindara Inc., maker of a fertility tracking app of the same name as well as the Wink Bluetooth-connected fertility thermometer. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Prima-Temp’s upcoming product, the Priya Personal Fertility Sensor, consists of an app and a vaginal ring, the latter of which passively monitors core body temperature to help an algorithm identify personal ovulation patterns.
The Kindara app and Wink thermometer perform a similar role in helping women track patterns in fertility, although the platform also includes a social network within which users can create discussion groups and share information.
Why it matters
According to a statement, Prima-Temp is looking at the acquisition as a way to cement itself in the digital women’s health marketplace while preparing for the launch of its Priya Personal Fertility Sensor in 2019. And as an early player in the venture-funded femtech ecosystem, Kindara does hold a substatial share of the market — according to a statement, the company’s app boasts more than 1.5 million downloads, with over 800,000 users having participated in the accompanying social platform.
For its part, Kindara seems to have been grappling with a long-overdue changing of the guard. In a blog post published earlier this week, cofounder and former CEO Will Sacks shared that managing his company’s growth over the last few years had become more exhausting than rewarding.
“By 2016 I was tired. I had yet to learn how to systematize and grow a company of our size and I was frustrated managing the team,” he wrote. “The bigger we got the less I found myself doing the things I loved (creating products). I decided to step down as CEO and transition control of the board to our investors. Handing over the reigns was a difficult decision that still weighs on me sometimes.”
Sacks said that he’d remained on the company’s board over the summer but felt that “his influence over the company waned,” leading him to depart from the board. Prima-Temp’s acquisition of Kindara came shortly thereafter.
What’s the trend
Although popular for years, cycle tracking apps have recently been at the forefront of the digital health regulation conversation following news that the controversial Natural Cycles app had received de novo marketing approval. Other digital approaches to women’s health include Ava’s cycle-tracking wearable, Fitbit’s new smartwatch features and Flo’s women’s health tracking app.
On the record
"It is clear from user feedback received from the Kindara community and our primary market research, women are seeking an effortless solution without sacrificing accuracy,” Alene A Campbell, CEO of Prima-Temp, said in a statement announcing the acquisition. “Kindara women in this profile will clearly benefit from the advancement found in our sophisticated AI, and Prima-Temp will likewise benefit from the wisdom of the Kindara community,"
